California Rep. Salud Carbajal with U.S House of Representatives define limits on President Trump’s actions regarding Iran

Today, Rep. Salud Carbajal and 223 fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H. Con. Res. 83, a war powers resolution to more concretely define and limit President Donald Trump’s military actions regarding Iran. The resolution passed with bipartisan support. Congress’ decision-making role in matters of war is outlined in Article I of the U.S. Constitution.

“It is the responsibility of Congress, outlined in the Constitution, to set the parameters on if, when and where our nation leads our military into hostilities. Let me be clear: We do not want war with Iran, and we should not put U.S. troops, diplomats and civilians in harm’s way to satisfy the whims of this president,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I was a part of the administration’s classified briefing to Congress yesterday—it only strengthened my belief that President Trump did not have a true strategy or legal justification for his recent actions regarding Iran, and that Congress must step in and assert our constitutional authority. I’m proud this resolution passed the House today; I hope the Senate will take the same stand.”

This war powers resolution directs the president to terminate the use of the U.S. military in hostilities in or against Iran, unless Congress authorizes otherwise or there is an imminent armed attack against the U.S. or our armed forces. H. Con. Res. 83 also clarifies that it does not prevent the president from coming to Congress for authorization if Iran attacks our allies or partners, consistent with the War Powers Act. The bill further clarifies that it does not stop the president from using force against Al Qaeda or its associated forces.

Read the full resolution here.

In May 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States from the multilateral Iran Nuclear Deal and began to pursue his ill-advised “maximum pressure” campaign without international support. Since then, tensions with Iran have continued to escalate. The war powers resolution aims to de-escalate tensions, assert congressional authority and limit the president’s military actions regarding Iran. As a veteran and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Carbajal understands the cost of war and is committed to ensuring the U.S. prioritizes diplomacy and stable foreign policy.